


Precious Heart of Mine

by PoeticMoonSpirit



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Friendship/Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-05
Updated: 2019-10-05
Packaged: 2020-11-23 23:14:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20897723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoeticMoonSpirit/pseuds/PoeticMoonSpirit
Summary: Katara is still struggling with her ability to bloodbend, but Zuko sees it for what it is. In fact, he sees her for who she is: human. Takes place a year after the war.





	Precious Heart of Mine

**Author's Note:**

> This is a random oneshot I wrote out of nowhere lmao I decided to post it on here from my Tumblr (poeticmoonspirit)

The stench of blood was overwhelming and Katara began to feel sick.

“Zuko, I-”

He gently touched her shoulder and faced her with grim determination, “We have to go, Katara. We can’t help him. He’s already gone.”

Muffling a sob, Katara pressed a hand to her mouth to keep from crying. They pulled the masks over their mouths and set off for the night, leaving the vile man’s corpse to rot in the grass.

After giving Katara a lift, Zuko steered Appa to a nearby cave. Zuko kept glancing at Katara’s huddled figure. Her legs were underneath her as she held her head in her hands. It had been about thirty minutes since they left the scene and she still hasn’t said anything.

“Zuko.”

He glanced back at her in surprise. Knowing her, he thought it would’ve been days before she spoke up. But then again, she’d always been unpredictable, Zuko thought.

“Yeah?”

Katara looked down at the saddle and bit her lip. It had only been a year after the war and she was still having these feelings. The feeling that she was slowly losing part of her soul, her very being. What would her mother think? Would she think she was just an innocent little girl caught up with the evils of bloodbending or would she accept the fact that she was just a monster?

No, she thought. She was much older now and she hadn’t been a little girl in a very long time. Even at the tender age of fourteen, she’d always been viewed as being someone much older.

“Do you—do you hate me?”

Zuko’s eyes widened. He immediately slowed Appa down as they reached the hidden cave. The quarter moon shed its light on it, making it gleam like the moon itself. Zuko jumped down and slowly, but gently, held Katara and placed her on her feet. He needed her to know that it was absolutely _not _her fault, that some people are just cruel and disgusting, and that her powers were _hers_ and were not inherently evil.

“Of course not. How could I after everything we’ve been through?”

Katara pulled some of the longer strands of her hair behind her ear and looked down at the ground beneath her, studiously ignoring Zuko’s gaze. It had grown even longer than it was during the war, almost as long as her mother’s once was.

She gulped, still looking at the ground. She felt herself shaking as she struggled to find words.

“I don’t know, Zuko,” she said, raising her tearful gaze to meet his concerned one, “I feel like my mother’s spirit is disappointed in me. That _everyone _will be.” She paused. “What would Aang think?”

Zuko rolled his eyes at her last question. Aang meant well, but sometimes his actions did more harm than good.

“Screw what he thinks. Screw what anyone thinks.”

Katara’s eyes widened at the passion in his voice.

He tilted Katara’s chin a bit to face him. “You have nothing to prove to anyone. Not even me. You’re not a monster for doing what you did. The man was sick, Katara. He preyed on young women. You didn’t even kill him, yet you could’ve. You deserve more credit than you give yourself.”

Katara turned around and watched the ocean waves push and pull, pondering her thoughts. She felt Zuko’s hand twine with hers. She looked up and was taken away by the intensity in his golden eyes.

She suddenly felt a pang of sadness knowing they had to return to the Fire Nation palace the next morning. She would miss the warmth that emanated from him. The honest, but genuine words that he spoke couldn’t be found from anyone but him. She sighed.

Zuko rubbed his neck sheepishly before looking up at Katara. “Katara, do you—would you mind coming back to the Fire Nation? I know you’ve been waiting on news about the ambassador position and I’m willing to give it to you, if you want it that is.”

A full smile appeared on her lips. She suddenly pounced on him, giving him a bear hug.

“Oh Tui and La, thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

Zuko struggled to think straight as he wrapped his arms around her small frame. Katara’s hair started tickling his neck and he started laughing. “Okay! Okay!”

After they calmed down, they sat side by side, watching the moonlight touch the waves.

After a few minutes, Katara spoke up. “I think you’re right,” she turned to face Zuko, “I can’t worry about what everyone else thinks. I can’t save everyone all the time and I can’t pretend to be anyone but me.”

She continued, “I’m always someone’s _something. _I’m Sokka’s sister, Suki’s friend, Aang’s waterbending teacher. But you actually see me just as I am. And I appreciate it.”

Zuko twined his fingers with hers, something that’s become a bit of a habit. “Any time. Just try to remind yourself that no one’s perfect. We all make mistakes, we all have imperfections. But what’s important to know is that the world is not in black and white, we just live in shades of grey.”

Katara smiled at him and using her other hand, she began twirling the water in the air in circles. Mesmerized, Zuko conjured a flame and bent it in the middle of her water loops.

“That’s so cool, I didn’t know you could create shapes like that with water.”

Katara gave a sly smile. “I’m a master waterbender. Is it really that hard to believe?”

Zuko shook his head fervently, “Nope, not at all. I’m just amazed.”

While Katara played with the water, Zuko’s thoughts drifted to the next day. He had no idea how his council would take in the news that Katara was going to be the next ambassador, but at the same time, he couldn’t care less what they thought. The world still needed fixing and there was no one else he’d rather have at his side than her. Grinning, Zuko sat enjoying the last few hours until hell broke loose.


End file.
